The AFN national chief race comes at a critical juncture with a landmark Indigenous rights bill expected to be tabled a few months after the election, something that has sharply divided candidates so far.

The Eagle River Singers performing at the AFN's special assembly in Gatineau, Que. on May 1. The organization's national chief elections may impact the politics around the Ottawa's relationship with First Nations going forward. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Assembly of First Nations national chief Perry Bellegarde, who’s running for re-election next month, is facing challenges from candidates who want to overhaul the influential advocacy organization’s relationship with the Liberal government, something that could dramatically shift the politics around a landmark bill on Indigenous rights expected to be tabled this fall.

‘If it is slanderous or defamatory, then we will be held accountable for that, and we will be held accountable by our electorate, in whether they vote for us again,’ says Conservative House Leader Candice Bergen.

Big-ticket items in the last federal budget of this majority Liberal government include more than $6.2-billion to expand federal financing of rental construction, $1-billion for increasing access to drugs for rare diseas

Whereas last year’s budget was largely pitched at women, this year, Finance Minister Bill Morneau’s final budget is focused on skills training to help older workers and youth adapt to a rapidly changing workforce.